Improvement in combination padlocks



H. CLARKE.

COMBINATION PAID-LOCKS.

No. 179,210. Patented Jumzv, 1876.

NJETERS, FHOTO-UTNOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON, u, u.

UNITED STATES .PATENT I HENRY CLARKE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINATION PADLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,270, dated J one 27, 1876; application filed May 17, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY CLARKE, of the city ofBaltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Padlock-Cases, of which the following is a specification and 1 do hereby declare that in the same is contained a full, clear,'and exact description of my said invention, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of combination locks in which tum blers are arranged to be projected by means of a sliding band from or beyond the face of a dial-plate marked in such a manner as to distinguish certain of the said tumblers having peculiarities of construction, and which tumblers, to allow of the turning of the said band circumferentially in the locking and unlocking operation are required to be depressed to their original positions.

This invention consists in combining within a permanently.closed lock-case the stem of the dial-plate with a movable device engaging directly therewith, and secured within the lock-case, in order that the dial-plate and stem, the removal of which is necessary in changing the combination, may be attached to, or detached from, said case by hand from the exterior of the lock, when the same is opened, without involving the separation of the lock-case, or the removal of any of its parts, the same being closed, or similar to those used in padlocks of ordinary construction.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is' a view of the back of a combination-lock embodying my improvements, a portion of the back-plate of the case being removed. Fig. 2 is a front view of the said lock. Fig. 3 is a section of the same through line as y, Fig. l; and Fig. 4,21. detached view of the dial-plate and stem.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts of the invention in all the views.

A is the lock-case, the back of which is secured to the body part thereof by means of rivets, or other devices of a permanent character. B is the shackle or hinged portion. of the lock. The shackle B is secured in the locked position by a bolt operated by the band 0. D is the dial-plate. The tumblers are represented by a, the outer ends of which are supported by the dial-plate D. A stem, 1), extends from the inner side of the dial-plate to near the back plate of the case A, and is notched to admit of its being secured within the lock-case. The said stem is secured by swinging bar, 0, pivoted to some part of the lock or lock-case. The swinging bar 0 is provided with a finger-point, c, which projects a short distance through and beyond the opening in the case at the shackle-hinge. When the lock is opened, and the shackle thrown back, as shown in Fig. 1, the swinging bar 0 may be pushed by the finger back from its engagement with the notch ot the stem I). The stem is thus released from any attachment within the case, and can be withdrawn with the dial-plate from the lock-case for the purpose of changing the combination. When the shackle is down, or in the position indicated by dotted lines, the finger c of the swinging bar 0 enters the cavity 0 at the base of the hinge side of the shackle, and the purposes of neatness and increased security are thereby subserved.

My Letters Patent reissued February 29, 1876, and numbered 6,958 and 6,959, set forth, respectively, a combination seal-lock and a combination-lock, each substantially embodying the locking mechanism applied to my improved lock-case, as herein described, and for a full description of the construction and operation of said mechanism, reference is made to said reissued patents.

It will be observed that, in order to remove the tumblers for the purpose of changing the combination, it is necessary to first remove the dial-plate, and in the said reissued patents provision is made for the detaching of the stem of the dial-plate only by the separation or taking apart of the lock-case.

In my present invention, however, the lockcase is permanently closed, and the diaLplate and stem are secured and detached by means of the swinging bar 0, which can only be operated when the shackle is thrown back or in the position shown in iulllines in Fig. 1.

From this it will be understood that before the combination can be changed the lock must be opened, an operation that can be accomplished only when the existing combination is known.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a lock-case, having a close and fixed back, the dial-plate stem, combined with a movable device engaging directly with said stem, and secured within the lock-case, which device, when the lock is opened, can be disengaged from said stem, permitting the dialplate and stem to be withdrawn for the purpose of changing the combination, substantially as herein described.

2. A swinging bar within the lock-case, and extending therefrom through an opening therein at the shackle-hi1] ge, combined and en 

